Collaborative and support oriented work has over the past year had an impact in the study, and on the understanding, of a spectrum of diseases and disease processes such as cardiovascular disease (atherosclerosis), inflammatory respiratory disease, obesity and type II diabetes, inflammatory and immune-mediated renal disease, gene expression and gene regulation, axial skeletal development and transgenerational effects of diet restriction. To keep the clinical laboratory up-to-date, new methods and instruments have been obtained. For example, An Aperio Scan Scope has been added for digital imaging and imaging analysis of tissue sections. A CellCut laser microdissection scope (Molecular Machines and Industries) has been incorporated for the targeting and capture of specific cells or cell populations. Additionally, a SECTOR Imager 2400 by Meso Scale Discovery was obtained for the performance of a variety of serum biomarkers, in single- or multi-plex fashion, including, but not limited to, troponin T and I, fatty acid binding protein 3, inflammatory cytokines (e.g., interlukins, TNFa, INFg), growth factors (e.g., VEGF), hormones (e.g., insulin, leptin, etradiol, progeterone, testosterone).